Aleksandra (Sasha) L. Ceferin
President, The Institute for Slovenian Studies of Victoria Inc.
Slovenian Language in the secondary school system of Victoria (1976-2005), activities of the Institute for Slovenian Studies of Victoria, and its core project, educational resources portal Thezaurus.com. (1998-) and significance of online learning for minority languages
An overview of Slovenian language as a subject from Years 7 to 12 at the Victorian School of Languages from 1976 to 2005 delineates factors for the achievement of this period. A highlight is Slovenian was a matriculation subject for the first time in the world outside of Slovenia’s territory. The impetus of the LOTElinx project by Education Department of Victoria in 1998, led to ISSV broadening its aims with technologies in the era of globalized education, and the launch of Thezaurus.com in 1999. It is the first platform for web resources for learning Slovenian language and culture in Australia and is a co-production by ISSV and Neuropolis Institute in Ljubljana. ISSV initiates cultural projects to underpin language and culture studies. Links were forged with Slovenia’s cultural institutions (DSP) (SEM) (JAK). ISSV published Slovenian Language in Australia, 25 Years in 2003. ISSV supported tours by Slovenian authors, and partnered in research in Slovenian Handicrafts in Australia, with the first online SEM exhibition rocnadela.org. In 2010 ISSV was a vital partner in the gifting of J W Valvasor facsimile collection Iconotheca Valvasoriana from JAK to the State Library of Victoria. ISSV advocates for language courses and has proposed the delivery of online language courses to be made available to students for majority and minority languages, which strengthen language education in Australia.
BIO
Aleksandra is President of The Institute for Slovenian Studies of Victoria Inc., responsible for the Slovenian resources portal Thezaurus.com (1998-2017), initiated by Education Department of Victoria and supported by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. She is an author of numerous articles, translations and book “Slovenian Language in Australia” (2003). She was instrumental in establishment of Slovenian language in 1977 in the secondary school system of Victoria, and produced all Departmental curricula for Slovenian from 1976 to 2005. She is a recipient of the National Award for Education from Republic of Slovenia in 2004, and a meritorious award from Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria in 2008.